Take seat at the arena as this month we pitch two excellent 'extra brut' champagnes against each other. In the Northern half of champagne we have the newcomer - Brimoncourt with a fresh look, lithe mineral fruit sourced from the Montagne de Reims and Côte des Blancs and powerful, yet elegant structure with long lasting finish. From the Côte des Bar in the South comes the handsome house of Devaux, dressed immaculately in the lime and stone grey attire and sporting a crystalline palate packed with citrus and orchard fruit tones. The intensity builds and packs a powerful flavour hit.
If you're new to the category of extra brut, it technically refers to the level of dosage (sugar addition) to the final blend, being very low. This normally sits between 0-6 grams per litre (g/L) and the two wines sit at 2 g/L. Dosage is just one aspect, longer ageing in the cellars (typically 3-5 years) and excellent quality fruit that has ripened perfectly.
Ripeness in the fruit means that there is no need to add much 'dosage' as they have achieved it in the vineyards through biological means. Other producers may make extra brut champagne as it is currently very fashionable, but not all get it right. Zero dosage, Brut Nature and Ultra Brut are also in the low dosage category and are very similar. Zero dosage means that no dosage was added, pretty straightforward. Brut Nature is the natural sugars that remain after secondary fermentation, this can be 0-3 g/L and Ultra Brut is very similar to Extra Brut.
Enjoy the edition and please send us feedback on your thoughts of the content, the wines themselves or share your moment on Instagram or the dedicated Emperor Champagne Club Facebook Group. It helps to improve our service to you and we always listen.
